Nola Cuisine

Well it’s Fall again, and in my house that means it’s time to fire up the smoker and start bulking up the freezer with Andouille, Tasso, and other seasoning meats for Gumbo, soup and stew season. I love the smell of the crisp fall air, mixed with the smell of rich pecan smoke. It reminds [...]

There is a lot of press on this topic today, Hurricane Katrina’s 2nd Anniversary; President Bush making his BS appearance, murder on the rise in New Orleans, questions of should New Orleans rebuild? (Hell Yes!) If you would like more information on where New Orleans is today, two years later visit Hurricane Katrina News.
While [...]

One of my very favorite spots for a drink or lunch in New Orleans is Napoleon House. It is everything you could wish for in a New Orleans cafe; decadent, dimly lit with paint blistering from the artwork and photo adorned walls, and of course great food and drinks.

A must on every visit to [...]

The French Quarter is filled with amazing little shops to suit anyone’s taste, I found mine on Toulouse Street between Chartres and Royal, just a couple of blocks from Jackson Square.

Anyone that knows me knows my love for cookbooks of all kinds, but especially Creole & Cajun Cookbooks. Imagine my joy when I stumbled [...]

We had breakfast at the recently reopened Camellia Grill during our trip to New Orleans. Camellia Grill is a beautiful old style diner inside of a Greek Revival home with a lively staff who clearly enjoy working there. Seats are all at the counter with the old fashioned bolted down swivel stools, white [...]

We arrived home from New Orleans late Friday night, we had a wonderful trip filled with lots of good food, friendly faces, plantation houses, live oaks, live music, and of course, being summer in New Orleans, some very hot weather.

I will be sharing some of the highlights of our trip over the next few [...]

I purchased some Soft-Shell Crabs today which I will prepare for dinner tonight, and of course feature as a recipe later tonight or early tomorrow. I only buy soft-shells fresh when they’re in season, I don’t believe in frozen soft-shells personally, it leaves me something to look forward to in the spring.
Soft-Shell Crabs are [...]

I’m a collector of Creole & Cajun cookbooks, and I’ve been looking for a resonably priced copy of Marcelle Bienvenu’s
Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make A Roux?
for sometime. There are some used copies out there, but good lord, they’re going for a pretty penny.
Good news! The book is back [...]

I don’t often go off topic on this blog, but I’m definately going to make an exception for the birth of my beautiful baby girl today at 8:01 a.m. Anna Elizabeth Leyten was born weighing 6 lbs. 5 oz., and 19 1/2 inches long.
They say that you never know true love until you [...]

I’m officially addicted to You Tube. So, in honor of Monday, how about two of my favorite things, which are synonymous.
Red Beans & Rice:
The recipe:
Red Beans & Rice
…and Louis Armstrong.
Now if you only know Louis Armstrong from What A Wonderful World and Hello Dolly!, check out this young man, and his raw, ferocious [...]